About     Contact     Archives     Videos     Events     Hair Transplant

I have been on propecia for about 6 months and it seems to have stopped my shedding. I read somewhere that Lexapro can cause hair loss. If i start taking Lexapro 10mg can it still cause hair loss even if i’m taking propecia?

The drugs that cause hair loss are not protected by taking Propecia. Keep in mind that Lexapro doesn’t cause hair loss for everyone taking it, but it is a possibility.

About 3 weeks ago, I was prescribed generic finasteride by a physician (and told to use Rogaine, as well), but after I experienced some side effects he suggested that I stop the finasteride.

Since that time, I’ve continued using Rogaine and have experienced an increase in shedding which, while expected, is still pretty unnerving. I still have full coverage of my scalp for the most part, but my concern is that I’m shedding what appear to be strong, dark hairs rather than light, miniaturized hairs.

Should the quality of the hair I’m losing be a concern or is this type of shedding normal? Also, is it possible for the Propecia to still be inducing shedding even though I only took it for 9 days and stopped about 2 weeks ago?

If / when the shedding occurs with either medication (minoxidil or finasteride), it usually lasts no more than 3 months, often less. Be patient, wait it out, and stay the course. I couldn’t tell you which medication is causing it, though.

Hi. My question is regrading accutane and hair loss. I took accutane when I was 15 at 40 mg for 6 months. I didn’t notice any hair loss at the time but a few years after I started noticing that the hair on the top of my head has been getting thin. Now at 23 my hairline has receeded somewhat particularly fast. I really don’t know what to think as I have been off of accutane for 8 years. I heard alot of people on the Internet talk about the effect it has on the hair. My question is could this hairloss be related to the accutane I took 8 years ago or could this be mpb?

I frankly can not tell you if you have a connection between drug-induced hair loss from years earlier or if you just have male pattern baldness from genetic causes. It is true that Accutane (isotretinoin) does seem to cause hair loss, but I can not comment on an 8 year gap between taking the drug and the appearance of the hair loss.

hello doctor.
i had been using minoxidil 5% and got very good results. 18 months back i stopped using it due to scaling. by the time i got control over the scaling, i had lost much of the hair on the crown. my doctor told me to use minox 5% not only on the hair lost crown but also on the entire top of the head including frontal area where i was not having any hair loss. i used it as per he told and the result was, i lost hair from all over the top including frontal area due to itching. i couldnt see any good results after using minoxidil 10% for 1 year but lost my frontal hairs too. 2 months back i stopped using minoxidil 10%.

i am not having any itching sensation now..what should i do now? my frontal hair is receding 1 inch every two weeks, the crown area is more and more visible now. do i have to undergo any tests? i lose around 500 hairs/day. do i have to use minoxidil 5% again? if so..then do i have to apply it on the new hair loss area ie, frontal part? do i have to massage the lotion to skin? please do help me doctor..!! please…!!

Without seeing you I can not comment on the 500 hairs per day you are losing. But at that loss rate, you will be fairly bald in 2-3 years, if it is really true. I can’t give you advice about which medications to use, but if your doctor told you to lose something that caused hair loss, go back to that doctor and talk to him/her. If not, I would see an expert physician to get a diagnosis and then a treatment that works (perhaps you can find a doctor in your area at ISHRS.org).

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I have followed the questions and your answers in regards to Somatropin or testosterone supplementation. I am 40 and have virtually stopped all hair loss since my late 20’s due to the medicines on the market. I have a doctor in NY who treats me for a bad lower back condition, and he recommends I use an hgh cream and a testosterone cream, we did a blood test and my T was quite low. The hgh would assist me in recovery. I discussed with him my concerns and my history, and he doesn’t feel I should have a problem with my hair. However, this is not his area of expertise. My question is, can I attempt to use 1 or both of these products and monitor my hair loss, and if its starts thinning simply stop using the creams. thank you

HGH can and often does accelerate hair loss in genetically prone individuals. There is risk here and you should take charge of your risks before you dive in. If your doctor prescribes a cream, I’m not going to tell you to cease using it, particularly if it is helping you recover. I can not advise you what to do in this situation.

Hi there, in the past 2 months I have noticed my hair thinning in my crown area. I am Caucasian male, 23 years old. Since then I ordered Propecia online (it’s not the generic kind) and have been using it for 3 weeks now. I did not go and see a doctor in person to get a prescription.

Now I am getting a little paranoid that my hair is falling out even more since I have been using Propecia. I feel like my hair is thinning all over. Could this just be a placebo effect and me just being overly anxious and paranoid? I mean is it safe to use Propecia or does it make your hair fall out if it is not needed or prescribed by the doctor? I do not have any of the side effects that are listed on their website. Could you please advise as to what to do? I just want to know that what I am taking is not harmful to my existing hair as I might have not needed Propecia in the first place but became paranoid that i was loosing hair in the crown area. Thank you.

The first question you should ask yourself is, “Am I sure I got real Propecia?” If you just bought a prescription medication from an online vendor without a doctor’s prescription or any verification, I wouldn’t necessarily put a whole lot of trust in it.

What I really want to know is, why are you treating yourself? You should never take a medication if it is not needed, and you should’ve been under a doctor’s care before treating yourself with prescription drugs. A doctor can tell you if the medication is right for you. You couldn’t really expect me to encourage or even condone your actions, could you? That being said, Propecia shedding is reported by some people.

Follow the many posts here on the drug Propecia (use the search), get the diagnosis of hair loss, find the presence of miniaturization, and on and on. I can not practice medicine on you over the internet and it sounds like you need to see a doctor.

How long after taking the first dose of a medication would your hair start falling out if the medication is actually the cause? I have taken 4 doses of Oxycodone 5mg and noticed an increase of hair loss. Can this small amount of a medication have an impact on hair loss? If the medication is the cause, how long after discontiuing the medication should the hair loss subside? I thought hair loss was based on the hair growth phases and that nothing would effect your hair immediately, that if you took a medication that effected your hair it would show up weeks later not right away. Thanks

I doubt that 4 doses of oxycodone would cause hair loss. The drugs that do cause hair loss are often insidious in the timing (up to a few years). When a medication does cause hair loss there is no guarantee that just stopping the drug will solve the problem.

Hey doc, This site is great. Anyway, been on propecia about 8 months. Hair isnt really any better def a little worse. So what do you think a person like myself, chances are of seeing any improvement in the next 4 or so months?

Did you see a doctor before you started Propecia? Did you get a miniaturization study to see how much of your hair was thinning (miniaturized)? Did you document the process by taking pictures before you started the medication? These are some of the basic things I would look for if a patient of mine states they are continuing to lose hair while on Propecia.

Propecia is not a magic pill and it does not cure or stop hair loss completely. It just may be that your natural (genetic) hair loss is rapidly progressing and Propecia cannot stop it completely. Perhaps without Propecia you may be bald by now. But all of this, I am merely guessing.

I would follow up with your doctor to see what your progress has been. I really cannot predict your future, but if all baseline tests are done, you can have an objective idea of where you are going. At the least start the baseline measurements now (better late than never) and then see what happens in 6-12 months if you stay on the medication.

I took steroids for 2 months and it made my hair on the top of my head thin dramatically. I do not have a receding hairline but I have lost a lot of density up top. My question is did the steroids kill my hair follicle within 2 months and it is gone never to come back or did the steroids I take make the follicles go into telogen? I was under the assumption that MPB takes more than a couple of months and a prolonged period for the follicle to die. It makes a big difference to know whether this hair loss is temporary versus permanent!!! THANKS IN ADVANCE

Steroids do not “kill” your hair follicles, but they can accelerate androgenic alopecia (this is assuming that you have androgenic alopecia). Each person reacts differently to the steroid, so I really can not answer your question. Your doctor may elect to take miniaturization measurements of your hair, do a work up for telogen effluvium, and start you on finasteride (Propecia) or minoxidil (Rogaine) if he feels that these things will help return your hair to normal. The worst part of steroid use is it occasionally starts a latent state of genetic alopecia and moves it along faster. You need to be under the care of a good doctor.

I recently went through about 4-5 months of hair loss. I stopped taking Lexapro and it stopped falling out completely within 6 weeks or so. Do you believe this hair loss is permanent? Do you have any advice on what to use to promote hair growth? I hope this medication did not actually damage the follicles and I will have spots forever. I am worried. Thank you for responding.

45 year old women very nervous.

In medicine, as in life, things are not so clear cut. I cannot say for sure if your hair loss was due to a medication such as Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate), but there are reports of hair loss with this medication. In fact, I’ve written about it in the past. So if it is the Lexapro, I would expect that this loss is temporary and you’ll need to wait with great patience for regrowth to occur. There may be other factors involved, though. This is something you need to explore with your physician and have a medical work up and a good history of events.